Wed, Jan 17, 2007
FedEx Express Donates Plane To Aircraft Repair Program
Students in
the aviation program at Southern Arkansas University-Tech in Camden
returned from Christmas break to a very pleasant surprise: FedEx
Express donated a Boeing 727-100 aircraft to the program, which
trains students to repair airplanes.
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports David P. Sutton, managing
director of aircraft acquisition and sales for FedEx Express, is
scheduled to make the donation official during a ceremony at 10:00
am Wednesday at Camden Regional Airport. The donation is the first
jet aircraft donated in almost 40 years of the program.
Sutton says FedEx Express has donated at least 40 planes as it
retires its fleet of 40- to 45-year-old 727-100 s in favor of newer
and more fuel-efficient craft. He said the company typically
donates about 10 planes a year, evaluating training programs for
their quality before choosing recipients.
"We have worked hard over the last few years to identify top
technical training schools, museums, airport police and fire
departments for receiving these donated planes," Sutton said. "We
just look at the quality of the aviation programs. We have a number
of requests, and we can’t fulfill all of them."
The 15 full-time students in Camden and 22 students at Texarkana
Regional Airport are pursuing associate degrees in applied
science in aviation maintenance technology. Students at both
campuses will get to work with the jet on a rotation basis.
"It was almost like, 'Look what Santa brought you,'" said Bill
Archer, SAU-Tech’s aviation program coordinator. "The guys
knew we had a request in, but they had no idea we were going to get
it."
More News
Aero Linx: JAARS Nearly 1.5 billion people, using more than 5,500 languages, do not have a full Bible in their first language. Many of these people live in the most remote parts of>[...]
'Airplane Bounced Twice On The Grass Runway, Resulting In The Nose Wheel Separating From The Airplane...' Analysis: The pilot reported, “upon touchdown, the plane jumped back>[...]
"Burt is best known to the public for his historic designs of SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and GlobalFlyer, but for EAA members and aviation aficionados, his unique concepts began more t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]